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Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters

Emily Roberson (Goodreads Author)

3.56 · Rating details · 894 ratings · 266 reviews

Sixteen-year-old Ariadne’s whole life is curated and shared with the world. Her royal family’s entertainment empire is beloved by the tabloids, all over social media, and the hottest thing on television. The biggest moneymaker? The Labyrinth Contest, a TV extravaganza in which Ariadne leads fourteen teens into a maze to kill a monster. To win means endless glory; to lose m ...more

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published October 22nd 2019 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)

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Oct 24, 2019 Toni rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, ya

An interesting concept of combining reality tv and 'famous for being famous' culture and one of the most popular myths in Greek mythology. Entertaining, although a bit irreverent at times (as you would expect from the premise). I always had mixed feelings about Ariadne, but here the protagonist is very likeable and I really enjoyed looking at her as a rebellious teenager who wants to find her own way in life.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the review copy provided in exc ...more

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Mar 04, 2020 Amy (libraryofamy) rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This was a disaster.

Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters had so much potential. A retelling of Greek myths and heroes set in the modern world with a reality TV and Hunger Games-esque twist? What a cool concept! There were a lot of interesting ideas and themes that were presented, especially in relation to the culture of reality TV. However, the execution was awful and this was absolutely the worst book I've read in 2020 so far.

I don't even know where to begin. The horrible insta-love? The "I'm not li This was a disaster.

Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters had so much potential. A retelling of Greek myths and heroes set in the modern world with a reality TV and Hunger Games-esque twist? What a cool concept! There were a lot of interesting ideas and themes that were presented, especially in relation to the culture of reality TV. However, the execution was awful and this was absolutely the worst book I've read in 2020 so far.

I don't even know where to begin. The horrible insta-love? The "I'm not like other girls" trope? The whiny and completely insufferable main character? The boring and bland love interest? The one dimensional, trope-y side characters? The terribly paced story line? The flimsy plot? The unexplored themes like rape culture, toxic families, and the pressures of social media? The fact that the last 50 pages of the book are stupid and nonsensical? I can't believe this was a real book that I read. This seems like a story that would have been published in 2014 and done really well. But the fact that it was so trope-y and poorly written despite being published in 2019--since I believe that YA readers expect much better quality nowadays--makes me wonder what the f*ck everybody involved in this was thinking.

There was not a single thing about this book that I liked. The mix of modern day and ancient mythological characters was done really, really poorly. The retelling of several (?) Greek myths was a vague mess. The fact that the author tried to do all of this while simultaneously doing a reality-show-Hunger-Games-style-competition all in one was an absolute disaster. The author tried to do way too much with just 300ish pages and she simply could not bring it together in a convincing way. Everything about this book came across as immature, inaccurate, and insincere.

This just... sucked. I'm sorry for being so harsh but, really? We're really gonna publish stuff like this in the YA genre and pretend its good? Everything about Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters was a goddamn catastrophe of storytelling. I said what I said. ...more

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Aug 09, 2019 - ̗̀ DANY ̖́- (danyreads) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reads, arc

. : ☾⋆ — 3 ★

READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG!!!
https://bit.ly/2KphrbA

ARC provided from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Macmillan!!)

you simply HAVE to give Emily Roberson extra kudos for originality. never in a million years would I have been smart enough to come up with a concept that takes an ancient greek myth, reality TV like Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and The Hunger Games and blends them in such a dark and seamless way. I was a HUGE f ...more

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Oct 28, 2019 Bethany rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Yikes, this book is a lot and I'm not entirely sure how to feel about it. I came close to DNF'ing, but it is a pretty quick read so I decided to see it through. I love the concept behind Lifestyles of God's and Monsters, but the execution....had a lot more issues. I am particularly uncomfortable with the handling of certain things given that this is a YA book, and we will dig into that.

This is being pitched as Greek Mythology meets The Kardashians, and in a lot of ways that is quite accurate. I
Yikes, this book is a lot and I'm not entirely sure how to feel about it. I came close to DNF'ing, but it is a pretty quick read so I decided to see it through. I love the concept behind Lifestyles of God's and Monsters, but the execution....had a lot more issues. I am particularly uncomfortable with the handling of certain things given that this is a YA book, and we will dig into that.

This is being pitched as Greek Mythology meets The Kardashians, and in a lot of ways that is quite accurate. It is a retelling of Ariadne and the Minotaur, but set in a modernish version of Greece where Ariadne and the rest of her family are part of a reality TV show. Names and many details from the original are directly imported into this technologically modern setting, which is an interesting choice and one that definitely took some getting used to. I think the problem with that is that while the technology, existence of reality TV, and dialogue is modern, the treatment of women and children (among other things) is decidedly not, and that leads to some really horrifying decisions that I'm really uncomfortable with. I think a better approach might have been to do a looser retelling and/or age up the characters in the book.

Instead, we essentially get extreme forms of child abuse that are not handled with enough gravity. And I'm not even talking about the televised deaths of 14 teenagers every year at the hands of the minotaur. Nope, I'm talking about how Ariadne's parents basically force her and her sisters to get drunk, show on-camera nudity, engage in sexual activity on-camera, including (in the case of her sisters) with men who are much older or abusive. Other side characters there to compete are also shown to get drunk and hook up with people on camera, including one girl who is only 13 years old, but is described as beautiful and desirable by older men. Ariadne is 16 years old and it is implied that this behavior began with her sisters when they were much younger. While none of this is portrayed as positive, it also feels played up for shock value and some parts are really brushed over. I was so uncomfortable with all of this, particularly for a YA book that seems more concerned about Ariadne being forced into things she doesn't want than about the fact that this is exploitation of children in the worst way. There is no criminal justice system, and apparently rights are not a thing that exist. It's horrifying.

Add to that the fact that everyone but Ariadne is basically over-the-top horrible, often to an unbelievable degree, and that she falls into the very tired "not like other girls" trope that makes her out to be in some way better because she isn't into makeup or fashion. I am so over that as a way of handling female characters, especially for teens.

That said, I like the idea of making Greek mythology more relevant, and this certainly drives home the horrific and messed up things involved in some of those stories. Thankfully this book chose not to dabble in the incestuous overtones of the original myth, but it does include the bestiality. (For those unfamiliar, the Minotaur is Ariadne's half-brother, born from her mother having sex with a white bull) *sigh* I don't know guys, I struggled with this one and I think a lot of people will probably want to avoid it just because of the content. I received and advance copy of this book for review from the publisher. All opinions are my own. ...more

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Jan 02, 2020 Candace Robinson added it · review of another edition

This was a pretty awesome story! And I actually didn’t know this particular Greek mythology tale so it was nice to be able to read something new on that!

The whole social media thing, along with the Greek stuff, was pretty interesting! It just goes to show how bad social media can be. I do use social media a lot, but I actually prefer the world without it.

I absolutely loved Theseus and Ariadne! They had wonderful chemistry and worked great together as a team. My one con is that in the beginning i ...more

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May 30, 2020 Sylvie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mythology, retellings, fame, royalty

2.75/5 stars.

It seems like this month I've read books that were worthy of either 4/5 stars or 1/2, this book's rating destiny was the latter.

I'm going to be frank, I like Greek mythology, most of the stories are very fascinating and I'm always open to learn more about them, but because I have very little knowledge of every one of them I had no idea what this one's true story was going to be, and honestly I've never heard of it before in my life.

The concept of the story was overall very interesti ...more

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Oct 28, 2019 ˗ˏˋ aphrodite ˊˎ˗ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mythology

this book is bizarre yet strangely entertaining?

it’s basically a greek myth version of keeping up with the kardashians & the hunger games so yeah: bizarre

the writing is very reminiscent of 2000s YA and you can definitely tell it’s a debut novel but I was still flying through this.

there are themes about growing up in a reality show and the inner workings of fame. it’s exploitive, sexual, & exactly what you expect in the production of real housewives.

the theme of how mortals blame the gods for ...more

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Oct 13, 2019 The Nerd Daily rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Nathalie DeFelice

I finished this story a week and a half ago, and I’m just now finding the words to describe the absolute delight of a story this was to read. It’s been a long time since I last read a retelling of a Greek myth, and I was blown away by how Emily Roberson was able to create this hybrid world of a Kardashian-esque royal family while still observing the rules of the Gods. There are elements of this story that caused me to think of t Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Nathalie DeFelice

I finished this story a week and a half ago, and I’m just now finding the words to describe the absolute delight of a story this was to read. It’s been a long time since I last read a retelling of a Greek myth, and I was blown away by how Emily Roberson was able to create this hybrid world of a Kardashian-esque royal family while still observing the rules of the Gods. There are elements of this story that caused me to think of the pervasive nature of social media, and how some of the most devoted can turn into the biggest hypocrites. I loved the exploration of sibling relationships despite fame and fortune, and the desperate lengths that one will go for the ultimate revenge. I don’t think I can recommend this story enough. If you like retellings in a *mostly* contemporary setting, I don’t think there’s a better story to pick up!

Now, for those of you who are wondering, this story is the tale of Ariadne, whose life has been carefully curated and shared with the world around her. Her royal family’s entertainment empire is loved by the masses, especially social media, tabloids, and their shows are the hottest things ever to hit television. The most popular show? The Labyrinth Contest, where Ariadne leads 14 young contestants into a maze to kill a monster. In the ten seasons the show has run, no one has ever won. Enter Theseus, a mysterious young man who’s desperate for Ariadne’s help him win the contest, and whom she doesn’t expect to fall for quite so hard. It’s possible that he’s just doing it to boost ratings, but their attraction to each other is undeniable. She has the potential to help him survive, but to do that, the monster would have to die. For Ariadne, that might be the only life that’s worth truly saving. How can she forge a destiny and save the people she loves when her every move is monitored?

My goodness, even the summary packs a wallop. Not only that, but starting this book feels like you’re stepping into an episode of reality TV. Ariadne’s voice has this acerbic wit to it that finds amusement and despair at her surroundings. She’s funny and sarcastic, but desperate to remain invisible, despite her family’s claim to fame. The tactful way she analyses her position relative to the world around her is very interesting, and I enjoyed reading about her and her life. Her relationships with people are the most fascinating though, and my favourite interactions are those she has with one of her sisters and the monster. The depths that you find between these conversations unearth bonds unlike any other.

There are other characters that I would love to talk about, but they might be spoilers so I’ll try to be as vague as possible. Ariadne’s best friend was a character that I loved to hate, mainly because of the things that are happening in the story, are pushed forward because of them accidentally on purpose. You’ll see what I mean when you pick up the book *wink, wink*.

Of course there’s romance, and it’s definitely a bit of insta-love, especially when the Greek Gods are involved. Theseus is another great character, full of resolve, determination, and enough confidence for an entire country. Getting past that charm was definitely fun, because the story openly admits to the insta-love aspect, and looks to explore past that and how to make things work anyway. I was definitely under the impression Theseus was very superficial at first, which just shows how influential Ariadne’s outlook in the story is, but she breaks him down bit by bit. Gone is that swaggering confidence, and we’re left with a young man who’s just as frightened as Ariadne is.

At the heart of this story, readers will find themes related to the irrevocable effects of social media on behaviour. It’s explored thoroughly with Ariadne’s mother and sisters, and then with her father. I found it fascinating to see how characters coped with fame or didn’t. Readers will also find a thorough exploration of trust and boundaries; how relationships are altered, broken, and shattered by those we are closest to. My favourite is the theme of revenge versus forgiveness, and how that can ultimately make monsters of us all.

Honestly, I don’t have much to complain about. I wish I had gotten to know a little more of the world, and perhaps gotten to see some plot points play out in the story. Maybe there will be more stories set in this world of modern/ancient Greece. I know there’s one story that I’d love to be told, and that is of Ariadne’s best friend. Honestly, I felt like the ending of this story could lead into something more, so I’m crossing my fingers in anticipation.

All in all, I’m rating it a 9/10. I loved it quite a bit, and I’ve missed seeing Greek Gods in YA fiction. This was definitely the story I needed after reading some very dark things. It was funny, witty, and yet still left me thinking about things. I encourage you to add this to your shelves as soon as it’s out. I know I definitely will. ...more

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Oct 17, 2019 julianna ➹ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: unreleased, drc

i love greek mythology and i also love mindless entertainment
this book was a great match for me

review to come :)

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Jun 02, 2020 Jaye Berry rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, audiobook, fantasy, ya

Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters is a retelling of the Greek minotaur and Labyrinth... but modern and mixed with the Kardashians. Ariadne's entire family is in the entertainment spotlight, from social media to tabloids but their biggest money maker is the labyrinth contest- a reality tv show where Ariadne leads fourteen teenagers into the maze to try to kill a monster. To win is money and fame but to lose is death. When Theseus arrives to defeat the monster, he asks Adriadne for help. She didn't Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters is a retelling of the Greek minotaur and Labyrinth... but modern and mixed with the Kardashians. Ariadne's entire family is in the entertainment spotlight, from social media to tabloids but their biggest money maker is the labyrinth contest- a reality tv show where Ariadne leads fourteen teenagers into the maze to try to kill a monster. To win is money and fame but to lose is death. When Theseus arrives to defeat the monster, he asks Adriadne for help. She didn't expect to fall for him and isn't sure if it's all just for the ratings.

Guys, I fucking hated this. I really hated everything in this from the toxic gross characters, instalove, trash plot, useless side characters, annoying MC that ~isn't like the other girls~, unchecked misogyny, bad writing; literally just everything. While the tea is that I don't like Greek myth in the first place, I was willing to ignore my own dislike for some trash fun but no... this was just trash. No fun. I thought the idea was hilarious to turn myth into a reality show in modern times but the execution was terrible?? It was a big ass MESS.

I know Greek myth was already garbage to women and filled with rape culture and misogyny BUT it felt like most of the trash misogyny was from the social media angle so you can't even @ me and be like "Well Greek myth was already-" Nope, can't be excused here.

Ariadne is a disgusting trashcan who views her sisters as sluts and whores because from a young age they were forced to be in the spotlight of reality tv and continue to be forced to have scandals and sex tapes. They started from an age younger than Ariadne and obviously didn't seem to enjoy what they were forced to do. Ariadne does nothing but judge them until the end when they give her a makeover and she's like "huh, maybe they aren't so bad."

Ariadne herself is even told by her nasty father to "show some nipple for the camera" to get views up. Meanwhile Ariadne spends so much of the book talking about how she isn't like the other SLUTTY girls because she's NERDY and likes VIDEO GAMES and WEARING HOODIES. What the fuck man? This came out in 2019 not 2009 but go off with this shit I guess.

The romance was SUPER instalove and again just makes me feel like I got knocked into 2009. There was absolutely no flavor and I still have whiplash from how fast it started to risking it all for each other. And of course there was endless talk about how hot the guy was and how he could be with ANY GIRL EVER!!! but oh my god? He picks plain Ariadne????? Romance.

Mixing Greek myth with a Hunger Games style competition mixed with reality tv and social media fame with everything else going on was such a mess. It wasn't balanced well at all. It felt like too much was trying to be included and packed in and yikes. The plot was... whatever it needed to be at that point in time. The entire competition was just uninteresting and everything was so poorly paced. The ending was an entire disaster too but I didn't expect anything else.

To be fair while the idea was hilarious, I don't see how this could have worked out for anyone because it was just so bizarre (and highkey stupid). It felt like the author picked the idea for this book like this: spin a wheel and land on "Greek myth" then reach in a hat and pull out "Kardashian style reality tv / social media fame" and then blindfold throw a dart at a board and land on "Hunger Games competition" then roll dice and get "kingdoms fighting". The fact that everyone took everything so seriously just made it more awkward and cringe and that's a big No from me. ...more

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Feb 29, 2020 Anne Ta rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: bored-out-of-my-mind, god-awful-writing, romance, reviewed, ya, audiobooks, hate

My god was this a bore to get through. Not only was the writing godawful (like what the fuck was the editor thinking?), the plot pointless (the "conflict" was resolved in like 2 seconds), the characters flat and 2 dimensional and the romance to be the most insta-lovey, try-hard, cringy thing ever.

Honestly, I expected to love this book. A modern spin on Greek mythologies and characters? Sign me up! Until I realize how tedious the writing is-- written like a skewed twitter thread that's outrageous ...more

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Aug 21, 2019 Kay rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, physical-arc, retellings

Many thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Grioux/Macmillan for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review..

The premise of this book is so unique, crazy, and completely amazing. I mean, Greek mythology and reality TV are usually not two things that people associate or think of together, but that’s exactly what this book was, and it was so fun to read about.

It was cool and fun to see the ancient Greek world depicted in a social media, entertainment obsessed world similar to our own. I loved Many thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Grioux/Macmillan for sending me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review..

The premise of this book is so unique, crazy, and completely amazing. I mean, Greek mythology and reality TV are usually not two things that people associate or think of together, but that’s exactly what this book was, and it was so fun to read about.

It was cool and fun to see the ancient Greek world depicted in a social media, entertainment obsessed world similar to our own. I loved seeing these great kings calling each other up to videochat about the gods’ wills! The ideas definitely don’t go together at first thought, and Roberson did a fantastic job of creating her world.

The world depicted could be really disturbing, almost dystopian. I got serious Hunger Games vibes at points–kids being shown on TV, dressed up to look pretty and trained as warriors, ultimately going to their deaths. Ariadne and some other characters are shown to dislike this world, and to not want the fame that everyone desperately craves, and her interactions with people craving fame and high ratings really showed the disturbing nature of the world. I thought this could be a reflection/commentary on the growing obsession with social media and curating the picture perfect online life that we live in today.

Unfortunately, I would have liked a bit more development and closure with this creepy world. People are shown to be unhappy with the lives they’re locked into, but having to hide it and pretend and do things they don’t want to anyways. This sort of reveals how terrible the world can be, and motivates Ariadne to fight back and try to get out, which was good, but I thought it could have been resolved a little better.

For example, there is a scene where a celebrity who makes sex tapes is shown to be taking pills to forget that everyone is watching, and it’s implied that she might not want it. Another character is repeatedly told to undress, and show at least nipples for the camera. Although Ariadne does want to get out, these scenes felt sort of rape-y and I didn’t think they were fully addressed considering how dark and heavy of themes they are.

I absolutely love retellings and especially Greek mythology, so I was so excited to read this book, and it definitely did not disappoint. I was vaguely familiar with the story of the Minotaur before reading, but didn’t recall all the details, so I read it mostly as its own original story with some references to Greek mythology in it, and after I finished, I reread the original myth, so I could really see all the references, changes, and ways this book sticks to the original, and I think a person could really enjoy this book with or without really knowing the story, and knowing the myth just enhances it!

I really liked Ariadne as a character. She’s shown to be kind and compassionate, caring for the Minotaur and seeing depth in him when nobody else will and everyone just sees a monster. All along she never wanted to be involved in the horrible TV show that leads to the deaths of so many kids as well as hurting the monster. At the beginning she doesn’t like it but leaves it alone, but throughout the book she really grows to see that she has to do something to create the change she wants and take action.

I really enjoyed her interactions with the other characters as well. I loved seeing her and Theasus, and although the romance moved a bit too quickly and was a bit too close to instalove for my liking, I mostly liked it and there were some seriously swoony moments! I loved Icarus as her best friend and even her interactions with her sisters who seemed shallow and vapid at first had hidden depths. And of course my absolute favorite relationship is that of Ariadne and the Minotaur, and my heart was just breaking with them.

Overall, although there were some things I think could have been developed more, this was a really enjoyable read and I definitely recommend it! ...more

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Nov 25, 2019 Caidyn (he/him/his) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, retellings, young-adult-fiction

CW: death, slight gore, momagers, reality TV, dubious consent, and sexism

Honestly, I don't know how to tackle a review for this book.

It involves a retelling of the Minotaur myth. Aka, the queen who had sex with a bull that her husband, the king, refused to sacrifice and wound up having a half-bull/half-human baby that they lock up into a labyrinth and get young Athenians to try to kill it.

But, take that story and make it modern. Make it from the Minotaur's sister's perspective, Ariadne. Add in h ...more

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May 07, 2020 Lauren Stoolfire rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, romance, fantasy, fairy-tales

Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters by Emily Roberson is a unique YA retelling of the Greek mythology tale of Ariadne, Theseus, the Minotaur, and the Labyrinth. I've seen quite a few middling reviews for this, but luckily it really worked for me. I loved the author's writing style and how she brought Greek mythology into a modern world that's not all that different from ours. I wasn't sure quite sure what to make of the present day technology and elements like smartphones, social media, paparazzi, a ...more

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Feb 12, 2020 Leci rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So I loved this. It's a bizzarre mix of greek mythology, the hunger games and reality tv, and it worked.
The story and pretty much all of the characters were messed up in one way or another, but hey, that's greek mythology. I still felt for them & even got emotional and cried at certain points in the story. Couldn't put it down.

This might not be a book for everyone, but it was definitely for me. ...more

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Oct 24, 2019 Sara (A Gingerly Review) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, audio-book-2019

I love Greek mythology so this story hit a spot with me. I could not get enough. Brilliant concept.

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Aug 15, 2020 Muffinsandbooks rated it liked it

Un roman sympathique pour l'ambiance télé-réalité et l'univers de réécriture des mythes, malgré quelques éléments un peu tirés par les cheveux ou clichés ... ...more

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Dec 17, 2019 Yvonne Olson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The premise of this book stood out to me for a while - the Kardashian's meets Mythology! But also has a Hunger Games vibe... it was really cool. I regret waiting so long to read this, but I haven't been in a fantasy mood as of late and this just didn't interest me, but this had just the right amount of contemporary vibes to get me interested. That, and I LOVE mythology.
This was really interesting and I'm glad I finally got to it! ...more

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Dec 10, 2019 Cara (Wilde Book Garden) rated it really liked it

Shelves: other-retellings

Oooooh I REALLY liked this one. The blend of classical myths/allusions vs. modern technology and the reality TV premise worked SO well. (For context, I don't really watch reality shows so I think this book can definitely be enjoyed whatever your experience with them.)

Despite the fun premise, there's also a deceptive amount of depth and darkness here, such as in Ariadne as she grows to realize her own part in what is happening and as she is forced to re-evaluate her opinion on her "shallow" siste ...more

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Oct 29, 2019 Katherine Moore rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, 2019-read, blog-tour

This is an astoundingly clever mash-up of Greek mythology, celebrity culture (think 'Keeping Up with The Kardashians'), and the Hunger Games; altogether the story of Ariadne and Theseus is told, where the gods are under the lens 24/7 just like Khloe and Kim, and ratings are always king. The monster is the Minotaur, Ariadne's brother, a tragic character, who is supposed to be killed by whoever solves the maze. Ariadne is caught between helping her new-found love or helping her family, with everyt ...more

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Jan 08, 2020 Adriana rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Look at this cover and read that premise. Sounds amazing, doesn't it? Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters created a great twist on the original Greek Myth by creating a retelling revolving around reality TV. It could have been amazing if the author didn't make the one mistake many YA authors make - include a romance. I wouldn't have minded a fast instalove like this if there was an interesting twist with that romance. In the original, Theseus ends up being a jerk. I think a play on that would have f ...more

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Dec 19, 2018 Kate (Feathered Turtle Press) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019

I KNOW they wrangle buzzwords and key phrases to sell these things, but this genuinely sounds like "this is about uhhh *spins wheel*--" ...more

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Jun 02, 2019 Amber (The Book Bratz) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019debut, bookexpo-19, fantasy, publisher-sent, physical-arc, reviewed, young-adult

The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz

*Thank you so much to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Fierce Reads for the opportunity to read LIFE STYLES OF GODS AND MONSTERS!*

I love Greek Mythology retellings, so a modern day retelling of the Minotaur myth? Sign me up! Now lets add in reality TV and fight to the deaths and its basically a kick ass book. This book is basically: Keeping Up With The Kardashians + Greek Mythology + The Hunger Games = Lifestyle of Gods and Monsters. Lifesty The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz

*Thank you so much to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Fierce Reads for the opportunity to read LIFE STYLES OF GODS AND MONSTERS!*

I love Greek Mythology retellings, so a modern day retelling of the Minotaur myth? Sign me up! Now lets add in reality TV and fight to the deaths and its basically a kick ass book. This book is basically: Keeping Up With The Kardashians + Greek Mythology + The Hunger Games = Lifestyle of Gods and Monsters. Lifestyle of Gods and Monsters is a refreshing take on a timeless myth and a breathe of fresh air in the fantasy genre. If you are looking for a fun but dark quick fantasy read this is the perfect book for you.

In Crete every year fourteen teens for Athens compete for the chance to qualify for the chance to appear on The Labyrinth Contest, a fight to the death on life TV. Beat the Minotaur and you'll be rich among your wildest dreams. But in the ten years since the show first aired, no one has beaten the Minotaur. Ariadne, one of the three princesses of Crete, is the Keeper of the Gates and leads each competitor to the gates where the they ultimately meet their death. Ariadne has her own reservations about being the Keeper, but its the Gods plans for her and you never disobey the Gods. That's until she meets Theseus and she can't deny her quick growing attraction to him or the chemistry they seem to have. When Theseus begs Ariadne to help him beat the Minotaur, Ariadne begins to question everything she has known her whole life. Especially as dark secrets begin to unravel.

I really loved Ariadne's character. She's funny and dedicated to her family. She doesn't question her father and as long as she has her VR video games she is happy. That is until she meets Theseus and begins to question things. After being caught on camera her and Theseus quickly become a plot line in The Labyrinth Contest, causing ratings go through the roof, but at what cost is this to Ariande and her connection to the Minotaur? She can't let the Minotaur die and that is Theseus' ultimate goal.

Besides the mythology and retelling in the Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters it casts an interesting light on things that happen behind the camera of reality television. How things are planned and orchestrated. We see Ariadne's sisters who have their own reality TV show,The Cretan Paradoxes, bask in their own fame. But at what cost? Not everyone is as happy as they look on camera. I loved seeing the obedient character that Ariadne started out as at the beginning of the novel and her growth to the end. Especially after the things her parents and best friend expected of her as being part of the plot line to boost ratings and making the this season the most watched in history. But after a while, enough it enough.

Overall I really enjoyed Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters and can't wait to read more from Emily. Her debut novel is a taste of something different in YA fantasy. A modern day retelling with a reality TV and dark twist that will keep you turning the pages until you reach the last one. ...more

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Oct 07, 2019 Samantha (WLABB) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs, fantasy, ya, outside-us, romance

As penance for the murder of King Minos' eldest son, 14 of Athen's best and beautiful citizens must be sent to compete in the reality show, The Labyrinth Contest, where they would run the maze and attempt to conquer the Minotaur. After, 10 seasons, and lagging ratings, the newly claimed Athenian prince, Theseus, wanted to face the Minotaur in an effort to save his people, but he couldn't do it without the help of the Cretan princess, Ariadne. Would the princess choose her family, or would she ch ...more

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Dec 12, 2020 Neo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: covers, fantasy, mythology, religion-spirituality-new-age, romance, ya

Aaaaaa such a dumb great read!

Social media giants meet Greek gods meet Hunger Games. YA romance with these qualities - delightful. It doesn't matter that the storytelling is a bit clumsy - (view spoiler) it still entertains as any great reality series.

Takes surprisingly dark turns.

Any Hades game fans, give it a go!

P.S. I effing love the queen. ...more

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Apr 10, 2020 Katie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, 2020-new, how-library, format-ebook

I finally remembered to review this! I enjoyed it. It was Greek mythology with reality tv and cell phones and it was just really interesting all around around. I'll keep a look out for more from Roberson. ...more

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Nov 04, 2019 Christy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A fascinating exploration of politics, reality TV, celebrity, and power set in the context of gods and Kim K.

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Oct 14, 2020 Mal ☾ added it · review of another edition

DNF at 36%

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Oct 27, 2019 Abigail Nixon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A fun and smart read that made me laugh AND cry (just a little bit!) Ariadne learning the true ways of martini-making from her dad felt oddly familiar to me...

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Jul 24, 2019 Fanna marked it as to-read · review of another edition

The Hunger Games + Greek Mythology + Kardashians = need this book now!

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About Emily Roberson

Emily Roberson

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Emily Roberson has been a bookseller in Little Rock, a newspaper reporter in Vicksburg, a marketing manager in Boston, and a writer in Chapel Hill and Dallas. She is an Arkansas native who graduated from Brown University and has a masters in English from the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Arkansas with her husband and three sons.

Emily's facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Em ...more